CA2820066A1

CA2820066A1 - In-car eye control method and an electronic device implementing the same

Info

Publication number: CA2820066A1
Application number: CA2820066A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Chia-Chun Tsou; Chih-Heng Fang; Po-Tsung Lin
Original assignee: Utechzone Co Ltd
Current assignee: Utechzone Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-07-04
Filing date: 2013-07-04
Publication date: 2015-01-04

Abstract

An in-car eye control method is provided to monitor a car driver's eye movements, thereby allowing the driver to communicate with people outside the car or control in-car equipment. The in-car eye control device essentially includes an image capturing unit for capturing an image of the driver, an image processing unit for performing operations on the image taken, an eye determination unit for monitoring the driver's eye movements and generating an eye control instruction, and a system operation unit for executing a system process according to the eye control instruction. Thus, the in-car eye control method provides a diversity of communication or control solutions.

Description

IN-CAR EYE CONTROL METHOD AND AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE
IMPLEMENTING THE SAME
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] I. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an electronic device for use in a car. More particularly, the present invention relates to an in-car eye control method which enables control by eye movements.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] Recently, more and more attention has been placed on driving safety.
As is well known, many traffic accidents are associated with drivers' incorrect operations which are typically caused by fatigue due to insufficient sleep, driving for long hours without taking a rest, or driving under the influence. Once a driver is absentminded, distracted, or in poor mental condition, car accidents are likely to occur. To address such safety issues, a good number of technical solutions have been proposed. China Patent Application No.
200910310326.3, for example, discloses a driver monitoring apparatus and method which involve capturing images, detecting a driver's eye area and how the driver's hands are placed on the steering wheel, and thereby determining whether the driver's eyes are open or are closed because of tiredness and whether the driver's hands are placed on the correct positions on the steering wheel. US Patent No. 8,045,766, entitled "Device, program, and method for determining sleepiness", provides another kind of solution. More specifically, a driver's facial image is taken and then a specific algorithm is performed on the facial image. When the driver is found to be sleepy, an air supplying device and a seatbelt vibrator are activated to prevent the driver from sleeping. If necessary, a brake controller will be activated to provide further warning.

[0005] In addition, US Patent No. 6,842,670, entitled "Eye-tracking driving system", provides an eye-tracking system including a pair of specially designed eyeglasses.
Equipped with a camera for taking images of the wearer's eyes, the eyeglasses enable a mobility challenged person to control a wheelchair by eye movements.

[0006] The aforementioned eye movement-based techniques are designed either for detecting a driver's condition and providing necessary warning or for controlling a wheelchair. Despite the fact that these techniques are workable and are effective to some degree, they are limited in function. The foregoing techniques do not allow a driver to control car equipment or send out messages by eye movements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In view of the above, the present invention discloses an in-car eye control method. By monitoring the variation of a driver's eye movements, the disclosed in-car eye control method allows the driver to operate a car radio and other in-car equipment or make phone calls in order to communicate with people outside the car.

[0008] It is another objective of the present invention to provide an in-car eye control method that can be used to send out distress signals. Thus, when a driver needs to seek immediate help, as in the case of a hijack, robbery, etc., the driver only has to make a specific eye movement, and the device of the present invention will automatically send out a distress signal. As such, the present invention advantageously features easy operation, rapid action, and unnoticeable alarm.

[0009] The disclosed in-car eye control device essentially includes an image capturing unit, a processing module, and a state feedback unit. The image capturing unit is configured for capturing a head image of a driver. The processing module includes an image processing unit for performing image processing on the head image and thereby obtaining an eye image; an eye determination unit for performing operations on the eye image, obtaining an eye state parameter, and generating an eye control instruction by comparing the eye state parameter with a system control condition; a system operation unit for executing a system process according to the eye control instruction;
and a communication processing unit connected to the system operation unit and configured for transmitting messages or data to the outside of the car according to the eye control instruction or the system process. The state feedback unit can send out an alert signal indicating successful or failed execution of the system process according to the system process, thereby alerting the driver of the execution states of the various operations of the device of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The objectives, technical contents, and features of the present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of the device of the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 schematically shows how the device of the present invention is installed;

[0013] FIG. 3 schematically shows how an eye image is obtained;

[0014] FIG. 4 schematically shows a first eye movement;

[0015] FIG. 5 schematically shows a second eye movement; and

[0016] FIG.6, FIG.7 and FIG.8 cooperatively constitute a flowchart of the method of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Please refer to FIG. 1 for the system structure of the in-car eye control device of the present invention. The device of the present invention essentially includes a processing module 10, an image capturing unit 20 connected to the processing module 10, . .
and a state feedback unit 30 connected to the processing module 10. The image capturing unit 20 is configured for capturing a head image of the user. Preferably, as shown in FIG.
2, a main body 60 of the device is installed above the dashboard so as to obtain a clear head image of the driver. The processing module 10 includes an image processing unit 11, an eye determination unit 12, and a system operation unit 13. Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the image processing unit 11 is connected electrically to the image capturing unit 20, and performs image processing on the head image 50 so as to create an eye searching area 51 within the head image 50. After that, an eye image 52 is defined in the eye searching area 51 by the image processing unit 11. The eye determination unit 12 is connected electrically to the image processing unit 11. By performing operations on the eye image 52, an eye state parameter is obtained by the eye determination unit 12. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a blink of the eye, a sidelong glance to the left or to the right, a clockwise or counterclockwise turn of the eye, and other specific eye movements correspond to different eye state parameters respectively. The system operation unit 13 is connected electrically to the eye determination unit 12. Once the eye state parameter is determined, it is compared by the system operation unit 13 with a system control condition to generate an eye control instruction, according to which the system operation unit 13 executes a corresponding system process. As far as in-car equipment is concerned, applicable system processes include playing music, adjusting acoustic volume, controlling the temperature of an air conditioning system, and so on. The electronic device of this invention may further include a communication processing unit 40 for external-communication purposes. When it comes to external-communication applications, applicable system processes include making a phone call, terminating an incoming phone call, sending out a distress signal, and so forth. The communication processing unit 40 is in charge of communication with devices outside the car according to instructions issued by the system operation unit 13.
The communication processing unit 4 may generate and transmit a communication feedback signal to the system operation unit 13, based on which the system operation unit 13 is able to determine a communication state with the outside, i.e., whether the communication has been successfully established or the communication with the outside is unavailable. The state feedback unit 30 is connected electrically to the system operation unit 13 of the processing module 10, and is able to determine an execution state of the system process and send out various alert signals indicating the execution states of the system process, such as whether the air conditioning has been turned on or whether a phone call is being made or waiting to be answered. To this end, the electronic device further includes an alert unit 50, such as a speaker, an indicator light or the like, that is connected electrically to the state feedback unit 30 for outputting the alert signals in the form of sound or light, etc. The communication processing unit 40 may also be connected electrically to the system operation unit 13 for outputting the communication state determined based on the communication feedback signal to alert the user of an established communication or an unavailable communication.

[0018] It should be noted herein that, while the image processing unit 11, the eye determination unit 12 and the system operation unit 13 of the processing module 10 are described as separate units that are electrically connected, the processing module 10 may in practice be implemented using a System-on-Chip (SoC) digital signal processor (DSP).

[0019] The in-car eye control method of the present invention is now described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8.

[0020] To begin with, a head image of the driver is obtained (S101), and image processing is performed on the head image (S102). After that, an eye searching area is created in the head image (S103), and an eye image is obtained from within the eye searching area (S104). Once the eye image is defined, operations are performed on the eye image to obtain an eye state parameter (S105). The eye state parameter corresponds to the driver's eye movement, such as blinking; glancing leftward, rightward, upward, or downward; and rolling clockwise or counterclockwise. Upon completion of step S105, the eye state parameter is compared with a system control condition to generate an eye control instruction (S106). The system control condition includes a plurality of eye control items to which the driver's different eye movements, such as those mentioned above, correspond respectively. For example, the eye control items include: a left-to-right item, a right-to-left item, an up-to-down item, a down-to-up item, and a circling item. Based on the eye control items of the system control condition, eye control instructions may have different functions, e.g., to turn on or off a light, to turn on or off music, to increase or decrease acoustic volume, and to turn on or off an air conditioner. In addition to controlling in-car equipment, eye control instructions may serve to communicate with devices outside the car, e.g., to make phone calls, to send messages, to terminate incoming phone calls, and to call the police reporting center. This may be useful if an emergency such as the driver having a heart attack or the vehicle is being robbed or hijacked happens for the driver to be able to reach out for help. Alternatively, the eye control instruction may serve to contact a vehicle management center, to which information such as traveling speed, engine status, tire pressure, remaining fuel quantity, battery condition, etc. of the vehicle are sent.
100211 Following step S106, it is determined whether the eye control instruction is associated with an in-car equipment or an external-communication application (S107). If it is determined that the eye control instruction is associated with an external-communication application, a connection for communication is made, and a communication feedback signal is generated (S108). The communication state can be determined according to the communication feedback signal (S109). If the communication state indicates that communication with the outside is not available, an alert signal indicating communication failure will be sent (S110) to alert the driver. If the communication state indicates that the communication with the outside is successfully established, the related external-communication system process will be executed according to the eye control instruction (S111). If the eye control instruction is to terminate an incoming call, steps S108 to S110 may be skipped. On the other hand, if the eye control instruction is associated with a certain in-car equipment, e.g., to adjust the acoustic volume thereof, then it is not necessary to make the connection for communication, check the communication state, and alert the driver, and the corresponding in-car equipment related system process will be performed according to the eye control instruction to control the intended equipment, e.g., to control the acoustic volume of a radio, to turn on or off an air conditioner, and to make a phone call (S112).
After S111 and S112, the execution state of the system process is determined (S113). If the process is properly executed, an alert signal indicating successful execution will be sent out (S114) to inform the driver of the same; otherwise, an alert signal indicating failed execution will be sent out (S115).
100221 The embodiment disclosed above is only the preferred embodiment and is not restrictive of the present invention. A person of ordinary skill in the art may make minor alterations or modifications to the disclosed embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined solely by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An in-car eye control method, allowing a driver of a car to exercise control via a device installed in the car, the in-car eye control method comprising the steps of:
obtaining an eye image of the driver;
performing operations on the eye image to obtain an eye state parameter;
comparing the eye state parameter with a system control condition to generate an eye control instruction; and executing a system process according to the eye control instruction.

2. The in-car eye control method of claim 1, wherein the eye state parameter corresponds to the driver's eye movement.

3. The in-car eye control method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
obtaining a head image of the driver;
performing image processing on the head image;
creating an eye searching area within the head image; and obtaining the eye image from within the eye searching area.

4. The in-car eye control method of claim 1, wherein the system control condition consists of a plurality of eye control items.

5. The in-car eye control method of claim 4, wherein the eye control items comprise a left-to-right item, a right-to-left item, an up-to-down item, a down-to-up item, and a circling item.

6. The in-car eye control method of claim 1, wherein the eye control instruction is one selected from the group consisting of a phone call making instruction, a message sending instruction, and an incoming phone call terminating instruction.

7. The in-car eye control method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:
making a connection for communication and generating a communication feedback signal; and determining a communication state according to the communication feedback signal

8. The in-car eye control method of claim 1, wherein the eye control instruction is one selected from the group consisting of an instruction to turn on a light, an instruction to turn off the light, an instruction to turn on music, an instruction to turn off the music, an instruction to increase acoustic volume, an instruction to decrease the acoustic volume, an instruction to turn on an air conditioner, and an instruction to turn off the air conditioner.

9. The in-car eye control method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
determining an execution state of the system process; and sending out an alert signal indicating successful execution.

10. The in-car eye control method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining an execution state of the system process; and sending out an alert signal indicating failed execution.

11. An electronic device adapted for use in a vehicle, comprising:
an image capturing unit for capturing a head image of a user of the vehicle;
and a processing module connected electrically to said image capturing unit for performing operations on the head image so as to obtain an eye state parameter, generating an eye control instruction with reference to the eye state parameter, and executing a system process corresponding to and in accordance with the eye control instruction.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the eye state parameter corresponds to the driver's eye movement.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said processing module includes:
an image processing unit that is connected electrically to said image capturing unit for performing image processing on the head image so as to create an eye searching area within the head image, and defining an eye image in the eye searching area;
an eye determination unit that is connected electrically to said image processing unit for obtaining the eye state parameter from the eye image; and a system operation unit that is connected electrically to said eye determination unit for comparing the eye state parameter with a system control condition so as to generate the eye control instruction, and executing the system process corresponding to and in accordance with the eye control instruction.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the system control condition consists of a plurality of eye control items.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the eye control items comprise a left-to-right item, a right-to-left item, an up-to-down item, a down-to-up item, and a circling item.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the eye control instruction is one selected from the group consisting of a phone call making instruction, a message sending instruction, and an incoming phone call terminating instruction.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a communication processing unit that receives instructions from said system operation unit for making a connection for communication.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the eye control instruction is one selected from the group consisting of an instruction to turn on a light, an instruction to turn off the light, an instruction to turn on music, an instruction to turn off the music, an instruction to increase acoustic volume, an instruction to decrease the acoustic volume, an instruction to turn on an air conditioner, and an instruction to turn off the air conditioner.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a state feedback unit connected electrically to said processing module for determining an execution state of the system process, and sending out an alert signal indicating successful execution.

20. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a state feedback unit for determining an execution state of the system process, and sending out an alert signal indicating failed execution.